Children's home run by Archways Care Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 1 SC429918 Registered provider: Archways Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The provider is a private organisation that runs three children’s homes. This home accommodates up to four children who have emotional behavioural difficulties (social and emotional difficulties) as a result of past trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a registered manager who has been in post since June 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 20 to 21 October 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 9 December 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/07/2019 Full Inadequate 07/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/02/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 3

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improvement to be good

The home environment requires improvement. One child’s bedroom did not have curtains and there was a smell of urine in the room. This child has not had the opportunity to personalise their bedroom. During the inspection, managers took action to make the bedroom look more homely. There were also decorators in the home making improvements to the environment.

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improvement to be good

When children move into the home, they do not always have a positive experience. One child moved in with very short notice and late at night. Children do not always experience a positive transition when they leave the home. Since the assurance visit in October 2020, three children have left the home in an unplanned way. Two of these children have left after serious incidents in the home. This is because staff do not have the skills to de-escalate children’s behaviour. As a result, some incidents lead to staff calling the police for support. This increases the risk of criminalising children.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff form positive and meaningful relationships with children. One child said staff are there for them through the ‘best and the worst of times’. They also describe staff as their ‘second family’. Children confide in staff and share with them their traumatic experiences. Managers advocate on behalf of children in their best interest so that children receive the specialist support they need.

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improvement to be good

Children are making good progress with their education. One child returned to school after not attending for over a year. They are now due to take their final exams. This child is looking forward to their school prom which staff are helping them prepare for.

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improvement to be good

Staff document each child’s journey during their time living at the home. They capture this with photos of memories which they use to make videos and memory books. The manager ensures that each child receives these precious keepsakes. This is regardless of whether they move out in a planned or unplanned way. This helps children to understand and to make sense of their experiences in a positive way.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, staff follow the steps outlined in their missing-from-care plan. Staff also have a ‘grab sheet’ to refer to which allows them to take quick action. However, some information is inaccurate and confusing. This could prevent staff locating children sooner.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always respond effectively to children’s behaviour. There have been five incidents where the police have been called to the home to manage children’s Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 4 behaviour. On these occasions staff were unable to de-escalate children’s behaviour effectively. However, staff have managed to successfully support one child with their emotions. As a result, there has been a reduction of incidents requiring physical intervention.

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improvement to be good

When incidents occur in the home, staff do not always consider the safety of other children. For example, during one incident, staff locked one child and themselves in the lounge. This was to prevent another child physically assaulting them. At the time of this incident, there were two other children in the home. One child told the inspector that they stay in their bedroom during these incidents. They also said that they do not mind this as they can lock their door. As a result, this child isolates themselves in their bedroom when incidents occur in the home. Nevertheless, they say that staff care for them and always check that they are okay.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments outline the steps for staff to follow to keep children safe. However, staff are not consistent in implementing these steps. On one occasion, staff did not follow the steps by leaving two children unsupervised. As a result, both children went missing together.

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improvement to be good

Each child has a personalised risk assessment called ‘the things in place to keep you safe’. This document includes children’s views, wishes and feelings. As a result, children trust staff and understand the steps staff may take to keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

The manager and the staff have excellent relationships with specialist services, such as the Child Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). Staff receive the appropriate guidance and support to help children who self-harm. As a result, children who self-harm receive care from staff who are calm and empathic.

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good

The manager has some monitoring systems in place. However, they are not evaluative in respect of staff practice. For example, the manager does not thoroughly review how effective staff are during incidents. As a result, managers and staff do not know whether they help or hinder children’s behaviour.

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good

Managers do not consider the wider impact of incidents which occur in the home. Debriefs with all children and staff are not undertaken. Thus, the manager does not know what impact incidents have on other children living in the home.

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good

Managers do not fully consider the needs of children before they move into the home. For example, only three out of eight staff members have completed training to meet the pertinent needs of a child. This means that children sometimes receive care by staff who do not have the skills to meet their needs.

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good

Managers do not always complete the necessary checks to ensure staff are safely recruited. This means that managers cannot be certain children are cared for by suitable people. Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 5 The manager and the deputy manager work well together. They lead by example and are striving to develop the skills of a more-stable staff team. Managers are very much involved in children’s day-to-day care routines in the home. They use this time to role model practice to staff. Staff speak highly of the manager and describe them as being supportive.

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good

Professionals unanimously provided positive feedback about the manager and the home. They highlighted that communication was good. One social worker commented that staff build positive relationships with children. They said because of this, the child they work with has been able to disclose trauma. As a result, this has enabled them to begin their journey of recovery. Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; and

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)(xi)

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Requirement Due date

This is specifically in relation to the manager ensuring that staff have the skills to help children maintain positive relationships with one another and to de-escalate children’s behaviour. 28 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 28 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 7 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff understanding and implementing each individual child’s risk assessment, and their role in keeping children safe.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff receiving training pertinent to the needs of the young people they care for. 28 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that they have monitoring and reviewing systems in place which effectively identify shortfalls. Subsequently, taking action to improve the quality of care children receive. 28 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 8 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that they fully consider the needs of children prior to them moving into the home and the needs of children already living at the home and any other factors, such as recent incidents.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 28 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. 28 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 9 (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all of the appropriate checks are undertaken when recruiting new staff members.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that improvements are made to provide children with a more homely environment. In particular, ensure that children’s bedrooms have soft furnishings, such as curtains and clean floor coverings. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7).

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Archways Care limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hill Farm, Shawbury Lane, Shustoke, Coleshill, Birmingham B46 2RN

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Aristidou

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Inspector

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC429918 11 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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